


The Rain Chart

by samsarapine



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Blanket Permission, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-14
Updated: 2010-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-07 23:45:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samsarapine/pseuds/samsarapine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is said that the Jade Emperor commanded the Dragon Kings to bring rain to the World Below.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Rain Chart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pfmoi](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Pfmoi).



> "Chujo" is the equivalent of "Lieutenant General" as "Gensui" is the equivalent of "Field Marshall."

  
  
  
**Entry tags:** |   
[birthday](http://samsarapine.livejournal.com/tag/birthday), [fic](http://samsarapine.livejournal.com/tag/fic), [nc-17](http://samsarapine.livejournal.com/tag/nc-17), [saiyuki gaiden](http://samsarapine.livejournal.com/tag/saiyuki%20gaiden), [tenpou/goujun](http://samsarapine.livejournal.com/tag/tenpou/goujun)  
  
---|---  
  
_**Fic: "The Rain Chart", Tenpou/Goujun, NC-17, for [](http://pfmoi.livejournal.com/profile)[**pfmoi**](http://pfmoi.livejournal.com/)**_  
**Title:** The Rain Chart  
**Author:** [](http://samsarapine.livejournal.com/profile)[**samsarapine**](http://samsarapine.livejournal.com/)   
**Pairing:** Tenpou/Goujun   
**Words:** About 5,000  
**Rating:** NC-17   
**Warnings:** Bondage, dragon bits  
**Summary:** It is said that the Jade Emperor commanded the Dragon Kings to bring rain to the World Below.  
**Disclaimer:** Tenpou Gensui, Goujun and all associated characters from the Saiyuki universe are the property of Minekura Kazuya and those to whom she has licensed her creations. No copyright infringement is intended. The author is making no profit from this story.   
**Author's notes:** A gift, written for the occasion of [](http://pfmoi.livejournal.com/profile)[**pfmoi**](http://pfmoi.livejournal.com/)'s birthday. I hope you enjoy it, my dear – you gave me a wonderful prompt and I had a great time writing for it! *hugs* Love and thanks to [](http://nanfoodle.livejournal.com/profile)[**nanfoodle**](http://nanfoodle.livejournal.com/) for working her beta-fu on this piece. I've played with the story since she last saw it, though, so any remaining mistakes are my own. Also, a quick naming note: "Chujo" is the equivalent of "Lieutenant General" as "Gensui" is the equivalent of "Field Marshall."

****

The Rain Chart

 

The thing couldn't rightly have been called a demon, with its mindless, insatiable appetite for human flesh. Its insides lay bare to the sky, still twitching and gleaming with viscous fluids that had splashed everywhere during its death throes.

Tenpou Gensui lit his cigarette with hands that were still shaking from the strain of battling the abomination. He inhaled deeply, holding the smoke in for a few seconds before letting it trickle out of his mouth. His sword dripped with gore, and yet again he wondered why the hell he'd been so bloody stupid as to consent to being Heaven's Field Marshall all those centuries ago. Leaning against the tree under which he'd taken shelter from the rain, he surveyed the land that he had just saved from horror and death, and found grim satisfaction in the thought that the humans living here would be just as frightened by his presence as they had been of the monster's, if they were to know who and what he was.

The rain was hardly more than a mist, but Tenpou liked the feel of it on his face, clean, pure, the blood of the World Below, a miracle that never graced Heaven's eternally springtime skies. He basked in its blessing until he'd finished his cigarette, then wiped his sword clean and slid it back into its sheath. Restless and not yet ready to return, he began to walk down a small, dirt road, letting it take him where it would until such time as he was able to face the fools that populated his world.

The road wound through hills and rice paddies, eventually leading to a tiny village. The streets were empty but for an old man who sat outside a nearby hut with two small children at his feet, his smile simply a single pleasant wrinkle amongst the many pleasant wrinkles that wreathed his face with good humor. He bowed to Tenpou, and Tenpou smiled and bowed his head in return as he passed.

"Why did it have to rain today, grandfather?" he heard one child ask.

"The Dragon Kings are sending us their blessings," the old man said. "We should express our thanks to them."

Tenpou paused. Of course. _Goujun's certainly doing his job well._ Tenpou appreciated the artistry that had combined the delicate beauty of water and air, as if Goujun had wanted to place a gentle kiss on the earth's eager lips.

"I wish they'd waited to bless us until tomorrow," the other child said. "I wanted to climb the persimmon tree today."

"Tomorrow will do as well," the old man said. "Perhaps the time will pass more quickly if I tell you a story."

"Yes, please!" both children cried.

Tenpou saw a bench masked by the long fingers of a flowering vine of some sort, hidden from the humans' sight. As curious as the children and in no hurry to return to the paperwork that would need to be filled out regarding the day's fiasco, he sat down and lit another cigarette. It smouldered in the damp air, but the nicotine relaxed him as he settled in to listen to the old man's tale. He'd grown to appreciate the rare glimpses he occasionally caught of mortal lives that passed like a breath across the skin and never returned unchanged.

"The Dragon Kings are wise and generous," the old man began. "Sometimes too wise, and sometimes too generous…"

~*~*~*~

 

Goujun frowned over his rain chart. Surely it hadn't been that long since he'd last updated it. His new position as the Commander of the Western Army of Heaven was demanding, yes, but he couldn't let it interfere with his responsibilities in the World Below. Though the gods might not admit to it, dragons never forgot that their eternal fortunes were tied to the fragile wheel of life and death that whirled beneath their feet.

It looked as if the northwestern region of his territory was overdue for rainfall. The ground would be hard now. If he sent a deluge, it would run off the fields, likely washing away any plantings that had survived the unplanned drought. However, the run-off would fill the lakes and rivers, which men could tame and channel over time. A milder storm would be better suited to provide immediate relief for the parched fields without leaving destruction in its wake. Each option had its possibilities, and there were an infinite number of variations he could introduce—

A knock sounded at his door. "Enter," he said absently.

"Ah haha. Please excuse me for bothering you."

Goujun recognized Tenpou Chujo's voice before he looked up, resigned. His new Adjutant was absent-minded, tended to miss scheduled meetings and had the peculiar habit of perfuming himself so strongly that it made Goujun's eyes water. The frustrating truth of the situation was, of course, that he was the best of a bad lot, all of the army's officers nothing more than hungry dogs trained to follow the Jade Emperor's lead, with lies on their lips and treachery in their hearts. At least Tenpou had appeared to have as little regard for the Court as he had.

Several gods had spoken of Tenpou's subtle and terrifying intelligence, but Goujun had yet to see any evidence of it. However, Tenpou's brush strokes were reasonably easy to read, which marked him out amongst his peers, and was really all Goujun would ever require of him. After all, the armies of Heaven were forbidden to kill.

Today Tenpou smelled of… "Orchid?"

Tenpou smiled. "You noticed! Lin Lei has been experimenting again."

"It's quite strong," Goujun said, frowning.

"I thought it quite light, myself," Tenpou said, looking thoughtful.

"What is the problem, Lieutenant General?"

"Ah, yes, sir. Well, you see, during the war games yesterday, it appears that the Blue Battalion wandered into a portion of Heaven reserved for goddesses of maidenly virtue. A title which appears to no longer apply," Tenpou added, looking vaguely regretful.

Goujun closed his eyes. "Place them on barrack arrest and half rations. And for the sake of the army's reputation, see to it that something is done to compensate the maidens for their… loss."

"Yes, sir."

Tenpou withdrew, closing the door behind him.

Goujun forgot about him almost immediately, turning back to his chart.

He decided on a deluge, followed by a gentle, soaking rain. It would wash away all that was too weak to survive and leave the land free to blossom anew. He spoke a few words, checked to see that the winds and seas obeyed, then rolled up the chart and put it away.

~*~*~*~

 

Goujun's meeting with the Lieutenant General to discuss promotions, in particular the Field Marshall position, had been due to begin an hour earlier.

Tenpou still hadn't appeared.

Goujun abruptly pushed his chair away from his desk and stood. Precedent be damned, he was going to find the fool. And when he did, he'd make sure that his Adjutant never missed a meeting with him in future.

He stalked through the barracks, glaring as soldiers hastily got out of his way and bowed; he could feel many of them staring after him with calculating eyes, and he cursed his situation once again.

Tenpou's promotion had earned him a small room buried deep within the heart of the bureaucratic warren that comprised the Western Army's administrative offices. Desk clerks scrambled ahead of Goujun to clear the corridor of mountains of forms and file boxes that littered the main hallway. It took him nearly ten minutes to circumnavigate all of the obstacles, but finally he was standing outside Tenpou's door.

He entered without bothering to knock.

Tenpou looked up from his desk and beamed. He was stark naked but for a book spread open in his lap, his thick-lensed glasses and the twisted ropes that encircled his torso. .

"Good day, sir."

"You're out of uniform," Goujun said sternly, refusing to show his shock.

"Er, yes. I seem to be in a bit of a bind." It was always difficult for Goujun to read gods' faces, so different from a dragon's, but Tenpou's tone seemed more perplexed than embarrassed.

"Apparently so," Goujun replied. "Report to my office as soon as you extricate yourself. I will wait no longer than fifteen minutes before demoting you."

"That's most considerate of you." Tenpou tugged at a rope and promptly began to choke.

Alarmed, Goujun covered the distance in two long strides, extending his talons. Tenpou's eyes opened wide in his blue-ish face, but he watched with more interest than fear as Goujun slashed the ropes.

Tenpou coughed experimentally and beamed again. "Thank you." He picked up the ends of the ropes and the smile faded. "Though it makes my task that much more difficult," he added sadly.

Against his better judgement, Goujun asked, "And what might that task be?"

Tenpou lifted the book from his lap and held it out to Goujun, who averted his eyes as Tenpou's groin with its soft external penis was revealed. "I'm attempting to replicate this _kinbaku_ tie, but I seem to be having some difficulties."

Goujun looked at the book's portrayal of the elaborate bindings, reluctantly intrigued by the designs and the manner in which they displayed the human subject. On a dragon, the ties would be erotic. "For what purpose?" he asked.

"Well, some human armies use a remarkably similar technique called _hojojutsu_ to restrain prisoners."

"And Heaven's army takes so many prisoners," Goujun noted dryly.

Tenpou flashed him a smile. "Oh, you meant what purpose for me _personally_? That's simple. Sexual gratification." He vainly tried to tug a length free.

"I beg your pardon?" Surely he'd misheard Tenpou, lost in his own inappropriate thoughts.

"I find it arousing," Tenpou clarified. "Titillating. Stimulating. Erotic."

"In your office?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"You're my subordinate," Goujun growled. "I expect professional decorum at all times."

"Ah." Tenpou looked regretful. "Then you have my apologies." He slid off the desk and bowed, then extended his hand for the book.

Goujun felt an inexplicable reluctance to hand it back. Tenpou's eyebrow lifted, and a small smile crossed his face.

Goujun grunted and handed the book back to Tenpou.

"I began experimenting with the bindings on boxes and bags," Tenpou said, his voice light, but Goujun could hear a note of satisfaction underlying his words. "Alas, it proved to be less than exciting. However, you've just witnessed my dilemma when attempting auto-_kinbaku_."

Goujun was suddenly certain that for some reason, Tenpou had planned this encounter. "Is there such a thing?"

"Apparently not," Tenpou said sadly. "It seems I need a partner." He smiled again and pushed up his glasses. "While I may have carnal desires first and foremost as motivation, perhaps I might find someone who is more interested in the aesthetic or practical use of _kinbaku_?"

Goujun studied Tenpou. Taking a god as a sexual partner held little appeal for him, and up until this moment, Tenpou had shown a distinct lack of initiative or imagination that would excite his interest.

Until this moment.

"I'm your superior," Goujun said, curious to see how Tenpou would react to the statement.

"Ah." Tenpou's eyes twinkled. "Would you like me to relieve you of that burden?"

Goujun blinked; the response was nothing like he'd expected. "I see that I've underestimated you, Lieutenant General," he said slowly.

"People have a tendency to do so," Tenpou replied.

"I imagine you encourage it." Goujun waited.

Tenpou shrugged. "It's too much bother to take on other people's obligations," he said.

"You're not wearing perfume."

"I wondered if you'd notice." Though naked, Tenpou displayed no discomfort in the conversation with his superior. "You're quite disciplined, sir. I imagine that being a Dragon King amongst gods can be challenging."

"In what ways?"

"You're used to freedom," Tenpou said simply. "Instead, here you suppress your natural form, I suspect as a reminder to yourself of the restrictions that you face. It must feel constricting to live and work within such a limited scope."

Goujun thought of the smell of the wind and the sting of the sea spray, of how air was as solid as ground under his wings when he flew, of the taste of hot blood in his mouth when the hunt was good. He remained silent.

Tenpou nodded as if he'd spoken. "I can offer you a way to escape your bonds, if only for a short time."

The god's perception could be dangerous, Goujun realized. "How long have you been studying me?"

"I'm no threat, I can promise you that," Tenpou said quietly. "Though you might not think it, I hold you in the highest respect."

Goujun made his decision. "Come to my rooms tonight. We'll talk further." He turned to leave and paused. "And bring the book."

~*~*~*~

 

Tenpou looked appreciatively at Goujun's quarters, a satchel in his hand. "I see that they remembered you're a king, sir."

Goujun didn't bother to answer; there was no point in alluding to the magnificent Palace of the Western Seas when housed in quarters barely adequate for his servants. But he'd found that the ascetic simplicity suited him. Besides, the spartan quarters, though obviously enough to impress a lesser god, were part of what reminded him of his changed status. He pointed to a low table surrounded by soft cushions, where his rain chart and brushes lay as he'd left them when he'd heard Tenpou's soft knock. "Sit down."

Tenpou entered the room and sank onto a cushion by the table. He drew the book out of the satchel, as well as several lengths of rope. Goujun approved; there was no need for empty conversation since they understood each other already. He removed his chart from the table, careful not to smear the wet ink, then joined Tenpou.

"I thought that this pattern might be intriguing," Tenpou said, opening the book.

Goujun grunted. Tenpou was right; the pattern had potential if the god were able to re-create it. "Will it be strong enough?"

Tenpou looked up, the light from the lantern reflected in his glasses. "I believe so," he said. "It should allow you some freedom, though of course it won't be anywhere nearly large enough to accommodate your true form."

"I have several forms," Goujun said absently. "However, I'll retain my human form for this." He touched one of the ropes; it was buttery soft, yet he could feel the strength of the cord.

"Would you mind sitting on the table?" Tenpou doubled one of the ropes. "I believe the white of your skin and scales will look lovely against the dark wood, and it will be more comfortable, as well."

Goujun snorted. "I see where your priorities lie, kami." He removed his robes and sat on the table, back straight, calmly watching Tenpou's movements.

"I imagine that the throat is an especially erotic zone for dragons, as is the join of the shoulder blade to the spine, where the wings emerge," Tenpou said. He threaded the first set of ropes together. "No knots. They'd ruin the look, and might chafe as well." He pulled the ends of the first set of ropes smoothly, drawing them tightly around Goujun's torso.

The restriction triggered a bone-deep reaction in Goujun, a need to stretch his wings and launch himself at Tenpou, rip the ropes from his hands and the life from his body for daring to restrain a Dragon King. He shivered, his shoulders itching, and kept still.

"Give me your hands."

Wordlessly, he stretched his hands towards Tenpou. A few deft twists and they were bound, crossed in front of his body as Tenpou drew the ropes tight.

"You look superb," Tenpou murmured. He stroked Goujun's chest with his fingertips. Goujun growled a warning, the rumble starting from deep within, where the flames burned even when he banked them to assume his human form. Tenpou paused. "Pardon me, Your Majesty."

Goujun shifted and frowned. "This is… unsettling," he admitted.

"I agree," Tenpou said softly. He slipped another rope beneath the existing loops and ran it over Goujun's shoulder. "I knew that you would be beautiful like this, but I never imagined the depth of the arousal I'd feel."

"Mmm." Goujun tested the bonds. Tenpou had tied them well; with the strength of his human form, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Goujun to break free. "You don't want to make me your enemy," he said quietly.

"No, I don't." Tenpou pulled the last rope into place. "But I'd like it if you made me your lover."

"Dragons don't take gods as lovers."

Tenpou leaned close, his eyes magnified behind his glasses. Violet, round pupils: they held none of the power of a predator's deep, bottomless slits, the beautiful gold and ruby of a dragon's eyes, yet Goujun sensed a whisper of the fire that burned within dragons.

"You won't break me," Tenpou said.

The cords bound Goujun's body like a promise.

Tenpou took hold of the ropes and Goujun found himself being lowered to the table to lie on his back, his fall supported by strong arms as Tenpou leant over him. Tenpou's hair hung in his face and he inhaled deeply, searching for and finding Tenpou's natural scent underneath the mask of soap and oil.

"You gods bathe too often," he growled.

"I'll stop," Tenpou said.

"Good." Goujun liked to smell his prey.

"I'd wondered if dragons were cold-blooded, but appears they're just the opposite. There's so much heat pouring off you." Tenpou straddled Goujun's body, stripping off his robes.

In the soft lantern light, Tenpou's pale body glowed, his skin smooth and so thin that Goujun could smell the blood that flowed just beneath surface, could see the pulse of his heart in his neck. Such a fragile creature, for all Tenpou's immortality, more than a human but much, much less than a dragon. Goujun wondered how Tenpou's white skin would look marked by his scales and talons and fangs and felt his blood surge.

Tenpou ran his fingers over Goujun's bindings, brushing his skin; the touch flickered like a flame, burning the patterns of the ropes into him. "No nipples, I see. Now, what could possibly be an erogenous zone for a dragon?" He bent forward, eyes hidden behind glasses suddenly rendered opaque by the lamplight.

Goujun grunted as Tenpou's weight shifted the press of the ropes. The discomfort was constant and distracting; Goujun was finding it difficult to control his instinct to attack.

"Let go," Tenpou whispered. He gripped Goujun's jaw firmly, pushing his head back until his throat was entirely exposed, then slowly drew his tongue from the join of Goujun's collarbones upwards, until his mouth was poised over Goujun's jugular.

He bit down.

A growl rumbled from deep inside Goujun's chest and he bucked, trying to dislodge Tenpou, but Tenpou merely wrapped his hands in Goujun's bonds and bit down harder. Heat flashed bright inside and Goujun could feel his true self struggling to burst forth, but the ropes were tight and distracting, soft and hard at the same time, yet Tenpou's teeth felt so damned _good_, like the bite of a mate or a foe or prey fighting back and if he could only transform, he could engage and _triumph_ and taste the blood of the other--

Tenpou released him and softly kissed the wound. "That's it," he said. "I can feel you, right there, just below your skin."

"I'd kill you if I were free," Goujun choked.

"Don't worry. It's safe. The ropes will hold. You can let go, no need to be in control any longer."

Gasping for air, more sexually aroused than he'd been for centuries, Goujun struggled between discipline and desire.

"I imagine it's difficult to find a mate strong enough to survive your full passion," Tenpou mused. "It would be the most natural way of ensuring that the blood of the Dragon Kings is never diluted."

"Stop talking," Goujun snarled.

Tenpou smiled and slid off him. With more strength than Goujun had thought possible given the god's slim build, he grasped the ropes and flipped Goujun neatly onto his stomach before once again straddling him. "I think it will be easier to stimulate you from this side."

Goujun felt Tenpou's hand slip past the curve of his ass and dip into the pocket of his cloaca.

"So wet," Tenpou murmured. "Has anyone ever penetrated you?"

"Never," Goujun said, vainly trying to escape the cool fingers, so different from the answering wet heat of another dragon.

"Good."

The satisfaction in Tenpou's voice was obscene. Goujun listened to the rhythmic slap of flesh on flesh as Tenpou stroked himself, and felt Tenpou work his way backwards until he was sitting on Goujun's thighs. The fingers probed deeper, stroking and pressing, until they brushed his aching and erect flesh. He groaned as Tenpou drew out his hemipenes.

"So beautiful." Tenpou squeezed and Goujun thrust his hips into the hard surface of the table. He felt a warm, wet caress across one shaft. "You taste like sulfur."

The tongue returned, again and again, driving Goujun mad with its too-soft touch, the heat burning in him until his hemipene spines rose and locked, grasping nothing but air. He frotted harder against the table, trembling and cursing.

"I wonder what it would be like to be impaled on one of these," Tenpou murmured. "Ah well, perhaps another time." He slid off Goujun and pulled on his hips. "On your knees would be best, I think."

Goujun cursed and dug his talons into the table as Tenpou lifted his hips. Once his knees were firmly braced on the table, he struggled to rise further, but Tenpou was suddenly on top of him, covering his upper body and forcing his legs further apart. Goujun snarled as teeth fastened to the back of his neck, and then Tenpou moved his hips and penetrated him with one swift, hard thrust.

Tenpou's penis was cooler than his own flesh, its hard length pounding into the soft membranes of his sex in an infuriating rhythm that interfered with the building waves of arousal that pulsed through Goujun. He tried to pin Tenpou's body between his legs to hold him still, to lock him into place until the waves crested, but the god continued to plunge into him, deeper with each thrust, until Goujun could feel Tenpou's penis battering at his seminal glands, bruising the tender flesh until the ache blended with the arousal and he thought he'd go mad with anger and lust.

He could hear his bindings creak as he struggled, but they held, as did Tenpou's teeth and hands and hard, cool cock. The waves of pleasure rolled through him; dimly, he was aware that his throat was raw from the roars that were too large for his pitiful human form, that his internal fires were raging to break free and his talons were tearing into the table in his frenzy to rip and tear.

Tenpou continued to drive into him, and the last vestiges of his control crumbled.

His orgasm was white-hot, his internal flames unfettered as semen poured from him, running down his hemipenes to pool and hiss on the table. He felt Tenpou stop his thrusting – finally – and the cool spread of Tenpou's seed bathed his cloaca. Unhampered by a competing rhythm, a second orgasm overcame him, gentler than the first but no less intense, as the natural pulse of his body's sex recovered and peaked.

Tenpou collapsed and they both fell to the table, Tenpou's cool breath soothing against the wounds of the claiming marks left by his teeth.

His body cooling as his hemipenes softened and retracted, Goujun was dimly aware of the ropes being removed, of being bathed in warm water and dried with a soft towel. A warm body curled around him and pressed against his back, and Goujun relaxed, reluctantly free of the welcoming bite of his bindings.

_Tenpou Chujo._

He'd not foreseen finding a god that was possibly the equal of a dragon. A potential partner who could match him strength for strength and passion for passion, with a mind clever enough to understand his true nature and master it. He wasn't sure if he was pleased or dismayed by the prospect, but he had no intention of simply walking away from the possibilities that Tenpou offered.

Tenpou nuzzled his neck. "Hmm. I see why they call you the White Tiger."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that it's one of my forms?" Goujun murmured.

"Ha, ha." Tenpou kissed his shoulder. "Do you have the energy to move to the bedroom?"

Goujun shook his head. "I need to finish my work."

"The army can wait."

"Not the army." Goujun sighed and rolled over, meeting Tenpou's strange, round, lilac eyes. "The World Below."

Tenpou frowned. "Wait. You mean the rumors are true?"

"I'm not sure what rumors you allude to," Goujun said dryly, "but we Dragon Kings are responsible for the rains and the wind that cover the World Below."

"Fascinating." Tenpou's eyes went unfocused.

"Didn't you know?"

Tenpou shook his head. "At least, I didn't give the rumors any credibility."

"And what do the rumors say?"

"How long have you had this responsibility?" Tenpou asked, sidestepping Goujun's question.

"Since the beginning of time." Goujun frowned. "We were born of the flames in the heart of the world and given the task to form the oceans and rivers."

"Fire and water and air and earth," Tenpou murmured, looking thoughtful. "Did you know that the Court believes that you're simply the Jade Emperor's weather emissaries?"

"The weather dogs." Goujun couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice.

"Yes," Tenpou said apologetically. "I suppose that your powers are quite a threat to the Jade Emperor's authority." He laid back and tapped his fingers on his chest. "I imagine that's why he claims to have assigned the task to you."

"Politics." Goujun watched Tenpou's blood flow under his skin and the god's soft penis begin to stir. "Unfortunately, it's necessary to recognize them. I became the Commander of the Western Army because my brothers and I decided not to wage war with the heavens as the Jade Emperor's powers grew."

"Hostage?" Tenpou asked. "Or spy?"

Goujun studied him calmly. "Yes." Tenpou grinned, and Goujun sat up. "I must finish my chart."

Tenpou grasped his wrist. "I have a better idea," he said, drawing Goujun down until their lips met.

"The World Below needs the rain," Goujun murmured against the tempting mouth.

A tongue flicked against his lip. "Why don't you just make it rain for an hour or two – hold them over, so to speak?" Tenpou asked, his voice husky. "Surely that won't hurt anything?"

Goujun paused. The thought held appeal, and he should easily be able to adjust his chart once his and Tenpou's hungers were more fully sated. He murmured the appropriate spell and felt the wind and the sea obey.

"That's it?" Tenpou asked. "It seems so—"

"Simple?"

"Anticlimactic." Tenpou smiled wickedly. "I believe that we need to fix that. What binding pattern shall I try next?"

~*~*~*~

 

Tenpou crushed out his cigarette and threw the butt to the ground to join the others littering the dirt.

"After weeks and weeks and weeks of rain," the old man said to the children, "so much rain that the oceans groaned beneath its weight, so much rain that only the tops of the mountains pierced the seas, so much rain that it was as if the world had wept itself to sleep—"

"What, grandfather?"

"Yes! What?"

"The sun broke through the heavens and smiled, and every person on every boat that ever floated on river or sea looked up and smiled back."

Tenpou heard the sounds of the children's awe.

"But what about all of the water?" the smallest one asked.

"Ah, that was the question in each person's heart. 'The Dragon Kings' generosity knows no bounds,' the people cried, 'but so much generosity cannot be good for the crops and our homes.' The Jade Emperor heard their cries and commanded the Dragon Kings to restore the balance of land and sea. So the four Dragon Kings flew down from the sky and drank and drank, until the waters receded and the land was bared, clean and fresh, the rice tall and so full that the stalks bowed under the weight of the grain."

"The Dragon Kings are so cool!" the older child said. "I want to meet them someday!"

"Me too!"

Tenpou winced. _Not when you're the reason that one forgot to stop the rain_, he thought ruefully as he rose from his hidden bench. It had taken Tenpou's promise to be the Field Marshall of the Western Army of Heaven to soften Goujun's grudge, and he still glared at Tenpou whenever Tenpou interrupted his work on the rain chart.

_Which reminds me, while I'm down here, I should pick up something to take back._ There was a silk merchant in Kyoto, right next to the bookshop that sold erotic prints. Perhaps he'll have some cord appropriate to bind a king.

Tenpou smiled and manifested.

~*~*~*~_fin_~*~*~*~


End file.
